I did the M2 in Digital Management on the Paris campus. It was the first year that the School had set this up.
In the class, we all came from quite different backgrounds. Some students had joined the School straight after high school, while others had done a 3-year degree. We got on quite well and I've kept in touch with a number of people.
My studies were a very good experience for me.
I immediately liked what I was taught by the different professors and lecturers. There was a good mix of permanent professors and professionals. I was quite impressed by their quality.
One of the lecturers was a youtuber called Gonzague, who particularly interested me.
What's more, I got to work in a new part of the EM in a new building. I really flourished during my Master's years at the school.
This course gave me the opportunity to work for Le Slip Français, a company with a strong focus on ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½, so it's very much in line with my course.
Launching my YouTube channel
Gonzague was a speaker who was a bit different from the others. He inspired me to launch my own YouTube channel.
We had a very wide range of speakers, both in terms of companies and functions.
One of the speakers was a former student who had set up his own start-up, a mix of Snapchat and Instagram. In a rather different vein, we had someone from Dorcel.
At the time, I was very interested in video and YouTube channels. It was the era of influencers like Norman. I wanted to try my hand at it. Our lecturer Gonzague had given us an exercise in creating a podcast.
My plan was to create a YouTube channel that would popularise sexuality, without of course going into demonstrations. I wanted these informative videos to be aimed at teenagers, adults and the elderly.
It's a subject that should be accessible to everyone and not remain taboo. In fact, over the last few years there have been a number of podcasts and videos dealing with sexuality. In the end, I didn't do it at the time. Perhaps it was a lack of motivation on my part or a fear of the subject, which was not very common at the time.
A first contract after a work placement at the end of my studies
At the end of my studies, after my work placement at Le Slip Français, I was still in Paris. I was lucky enough not to have to pay rent, but I still had to start working.
My manager came back to me and offered me a fixed-term contract as a retail assistant, which I accepted.
At the time, I also met my girlfriend. At the end of my contract, we both wanted to leave Paris. She found a job in the Lyon area and I followed her.
First steps at Tesla
I always chose the companies I wanted to work for on the basis of their values. I really enjoyed working for Le Slip Français. Their president was someone quite exceptional in my opinion.
In 2017, Tesla wasn't as well known in Europe as it is today. I went on their website to look at their job ads and there was a position for a product specialist in the Lyon region.
I went through several interviews and got the contract. I've been working there for 3 and a half years now.
Putting meaning into our work
The ambition is a bit crazy: to revolutionise the world. When you come into a company and you have to sell electric cars, saying that this is the future and at a high price, it's a daring gamble.
It's a bit utopian to want to change the world in this way, but I think we can do something at our level.
What I liked about Tesla was its international start-up spirit.
In other words, there was practically everything to do. As an employee, you can still be a source of ideas. It's a very open group with which you can exchange ideas, and that's a real opportunity.
As a product specialist, my job is to welcome customers and present the products, but not to sell them. This role is reserved for the sales team, the senior advisors.
I progressed to the intermediate position of store coordinator, responsible for managing shop coordination. I then had the opportunity to become a sales assistant, a position I've held for the last 2 years.
Co-constructing your company's history
I arrived at Tesla at a turning point comparable to the launch of the first Macs at Apple. Our vehicle, the Model 3, is comparable to the iPod when it was launched.
Bringing Tesla products to market gives you the feeling that you're living history and that it's going to be a revolution.
It's pretty exhilarating to wake up in the morning and tell yourself that you're in the process of doing something crazy! And when you look at its leader, Elon Musk, it's pretty crazy to think that he's managing global electrification projects and wants to send people into space... Although he's not perfect, he's trying to change things and that impresses me.
A word of advice for our students
I'd advise you to have confidence in yourself and not to rely on what people say. You shouldn't hesitate to take circuitous routes to find your path, even if it means working for companies you wouldn't have thought of.
You have to try, even if the project seems a bit shaky. You have to have confidence in yourself. At Tesla, we like to say that failure is the best way to learn.
